West TN Man Fights Cancer, Writes Book

By
Brittany Patterson
By
bpatterson@wbbjtv.com

Jay Rogers, a former West Carroll football player, is letting the world in on his journey as a cancer patient in his newly released book, "Jay's Journey."

He said he started writing sermon outlines when he could not attend church or Bible study, but when he realized that the story of his life so far could help others, the words started flowing.

"My journey with Christ will never end! He is my comfort, my mediator, my king, my elder brother, my friend, my savior, and he is my all," read Jay Rogers, author and cancer patient. "Someday, I will live with him forever."

Jay Rogers, 20, has been on a journey with a rare form of bone cancer since 2005. Two years ago, he found some harsh motivation to finish writing a book.

"Once the doctors had told me that my cancer had come back again, and I had 4-6 months to live, and my book was not complete yet - I got a sense of urgency to hurry up and try to finish it," said Jay.

Still fighting cancer, Jay beat the doctor's odds and recently published "Jay's Journey."

"It goes into my journey with sports, my journey with hunting, my journey with cancer, and then my journey with Christ," said Jay.

He lights up when he talks about the first two journeys.

"I grew up playing every sport that there was - but my favorite sport of all was always football," said Jay. "I love to hunt, also. So I just talked about the opportunities that I've been give to go and hunt."

But when it comes to his chapter on cancer, Jay said his message is to help others.

"I just hope it helps them get through what I've had. Maybe they can see how I've dealt with it and maybe that can help them deal with their sickness, as well," said Jay. "If it helps one person, then it accomplished what I wanted to do with the book."

The book, dedicated to his granddaddy, is about Jay's life so far. He said he is still enjoying everyday with which he is blessed, and most importantly, cherishing his journey with Christ.

"I have always been optimistic in life," said Jay. "Even though the doctors come in and tell you all that. I always still know that I have the Lord on my side."

Jay has already sold over 300 copies of "Jay's Journey."

For more information, log onto his website at http://www.jaysjourneybook.com/. Jay's CaringBridge site, with updates about his fight against cancer, can be found at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jayrogers.